MAYOR BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM EFFORTS NOW CREATING JOBS AT THE NEW BARLCAYS CENTER ARENA AND THE LATEST BIG INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE - BROOKLYN'S NEW APPLIED SCIENCE SCHOOL - IN WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

The following is the text of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, April 29, 2012.

“Good morning, this is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“When it comes to creating jobs, long-term effort pays off. We saw two good examples of that last week in Brooklyn. The first was a project that started years ago – the revitalization of Atlantic Yards. And now, the goal we’ve been working for so long is finally at hand – nearly 2,000 jobs when the new home of the borough’s new professional basketball team, the Nets, open this year.

“The second example was a project that we’re just getting off the ground, a new applied science school that’s being created in the heart of downtown Brooklyn. It’s going to give the area a critical mass that we believe will make it one of the most dynamic environments for entrepreneurs anywhere in the country.

“On Tuesday, I visited the new arena, called the Barclays Center. Barclays Bank has a lot of confidence in New York and they named the center. We were there to introduce a major effort to activate, recruit for and fill the new jobs that the center’s going to create.

“The City’s Department of Small Business Services and the New York City Housing Authority are teaming up with Forest City Ratner Companies and Barclays Center Partners, as well as local nonprofit groups, to begin filling these jobs. They include positions for sales representatives, security guards, food services associates, accountants, purchasing matters and arena directors.

“We want to make sure that the men and women who live in Brooklyn communities closest to the new Barclays Center have the opportunity to apply for these jobs, and we’ll do that in three key ways.

“First, we’ll recruit through our Workforce1 Career Centers. Last year, they connected New Yorkers to more than 35,000 jobs, and now they’ll help more Brooklyn residents find jobs in their communities.

“Second, the Nets will give priority for these jobs to their new Brooklyn neighbors, including residents of nearby public housing developments.

“Third, we’ll host job fairs this June and July, and we’ll choose the sites for these fairs after consulting with local community groups.

“We also took a major step to lay the groundwork for future jobs and economic growth. On Tuesday, I visited the NYU-Poly Brooklyn campus to announce the creation of New York’s second applied sciences school. The new Center for Urban Science and Progress is being created by a world-class group of universities and technology companies, led by NYU and NYU-Poly, and including IBM and Cisco. They’ll renovate a currently underused building on Jay Street in downtown Brooklyn. It will be a major contributor to making New York the leading global force in technology innovation.

“We expect it to generate five and a half billion dollars in economic activity over the next 30 years, spin off hundreds of new tech startups, and create thousands of jobs. And, in the meantime, building it will create more than 2,000 construction jobs. And a special thanks to the MTA, who helped make this building available.

“While we’re connecting New Yorkers to jobs today, we’re also building a strong foundation for the jobs of tomorrow.